Helena Bonham Carter Quotes

The function of the actor is to make the audience imagine for the moment that real things are happening to real people.

Acting is trying to be absolutely truthful; to get audiences to believe that you are a dean, when, actually, not only are you not the dean, but if you walked into the building they'd probably throw you out. That's very hard.

A lot of the time, when I watch actors now, I think, 'I don't believe you.'

For the actor, The Lee Strasberg Notes are an indispensable companion.

I was someone who was out of control and not to be worked with. It was partly because method acting was a new thing in Hollywood then and Marlon Brando had gotten through and Montgomery Clift had gotten through and James Dean but beyond that there wasn't really anybody.

Actors are always looking for ways to build a character.

I started acting when I was 13 years old and I feel like I really admire actors who are these kind of amazing shape-changing people, that they almost can turn themselves into other people.

The reason why I could get into acting was because it takes nothing to get out of who I am and go into somebody else.

As an actress, you get to basically be your character.

I think most great actors have their own life trajectory, the character motion doesn't have anything to do with their life motion.

As always, with acting, you can't be too self-conscious. You shouldn't care about what people are thinking about you at the time because they're not caring about you, they're caring about the character.

I'm certainly not one of those actors who remain in a dark place the entire time in order to be doing the scene. I sort of come in and out of it. It can be to the detriment of my performance sometimes!

I love disappearing. That's what acting is. For me it's about putting on a persona, stepping into a pair of shoes. It's my face, but I'm using it as a tool for that spirit, that character.

I'm the sort of actor who likes to talk about what we're going to do.

On the 'Revenge' set, even if they're not showing my feet, I'll still wear my heels because it gets me in the feeling of Ashley Davenport.

I am so used to being up on stage and talking to my fans that it's strange to be on stage and be someone else. I can't look at the audience during 'In the Heights' or I will start talking to them.

I think that different actors go about their preparation differently, but when it comes to acting, I use my imagination.

It doesn't matter how beautifully a film is photographed. The acting tells your story. It's what people relate to. If you don't believe the characters, it doesn't work.

The art of acting is to pitch good. You do the pitching and hope that the other person catches the ball and does some good pitching back to you.

It is hard sometimes to see how other actors are working when you are working with them.

Yeah, I think the common denominator - and this is probably going to sound like Acting 101 - but the common denominator is belief in the character in the moment.

I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have to know where the lens is, what the shot is, and where you're moving. And then you have to trick yourself into an emotional state where you believe this stuff is actually happening.

The imagination is part of the arsenal that actors draw from.

When I act, a part of me goes into the character I am playing.

That's always something that's really important for an actor - to find an opportunity to do a scene where there is a moment like that, where you manage to connect with everyone.